


A King's Icy Dance

by skrivarmelodi



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Prince!Victor, Rating for Smut in later chapters, Romance, Violence, fantasy elements I'd say, there is some otayuri if you like but the meaning of it is up to you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-10-23 15:11:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10721832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skrivarmelodi/pseuds/skrivarmelodi
Summary: Korivan, the town and country that people also liked to call 'The eternal winter', was a famous and beautiful place. A place right out of a fairy tale, some said. That was Yuuri's hometown. But it was no longer a place out of a fairy tale since their king – Dimitri Nikiforov – turned into a heartless king after his wife left him together with their son. Since then he forced his people to skate for him and if they'd fail to entertain him, a punishment would await them.Yuuri and his friends try everything to save their town but there is only so much they can do.Until the prince – Victor Nikiforov – returns.My brother likes to call this fic: Hunger Games on ICE.





	1. Eternal Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Welcome to my new and second YOI fic! I hope you enjoy the first chapter because we're here for a long ride - as far as I've planned. Enjoy!

Chapter 1. Eternal winter

 

Korivan, the town and country that people liked to call 'The eternal winter', was a famous and beautiful place. A place right out of a fairy tale, some said.

The houses were built close together and beautiful lampions were hanging everywhere, so people wouldn't get depressed of the rather dark and always cold weather. Though the winter never ended, the inhabitants managed to build special buildings - so they could have a garden and harvest vegetables and fruits - and to keep their houses warm, using the warmth of the hot springs all around them or wood from the forests far away to light up their fireplaces.

Korivan was known for their talented ice skaters and people all around the world came there to enjoy a show or learn how to skate. Ice skating was part of their culture and something the citizen were very proud of. Every visitor talked about the hot springs, the good food they served and their talented ice skaters. They also had famous restaurants where the waiters served the food and drinks on blades.

One of these restaurants belonged to the family Katsuki and, even though the city itself used to be such a peaceful place, inside the kitchen Yuuri had to deal with a rather angry co-worker.

“I swear... one day I'm going to kick one of these rich people in their stupid face.” Yurio mumbled under his breath so only Yuuri, who was standing behind the stove and cooking, could hear him. His words didn't really add up with the way Yurio was dressed – the typical outfit of a waiter working in a fine restaurant – because he looked like someone who would never curse or threaten other people. Yuuri knew though that that was not true.

“Don't do anything stupid, Yurio. You know that we need this job.” Yuuri reminded him. It wasn't like he didn't trust him, but he knew that Yurio could lose his temper.

“Well, you don't have to deal with those royal people as a cook on a daily basis, right? And they think they are better than anyone and that just pisses me off. Seriously, our country used to be such a good place and now it's becoming a shit-hole just because our king doesn't care at all.”

“I understand. But we're almost done, so try to hold it in, okay?” Yuuri tried to calm his friend down – but he knew that only Otabek, who was, luckily, working with Yurio, could calm Yurio down.

“I know and I'm trying.” Yurio groaned and then sighed as if he was trying to let all his anger out through that. And he was not the only one. Every sigh that fell from a person's lips in this town was not one of sheer relief but one of anger and frustration. Though it was probably too weak and too small to let all the negative emotions go.

But the life there used to be different, it used to be better and the people in his hometown used to be happier and healthier.

“Yuri?” Otabek opened the door to the kitchen and his eyes went straight to the both of them. He was the only one who called Yurio by his real name, 'Yuri' “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I'm coming,” Yurio groaned and nodded to Yuuri, as if to tell him that he got himself under control, before he left the kitchen.

Yuuri sighed and looked at his watch to check the time. Just two more hours and they could finally go home and get the rest they needed after this very long day. Though, knowing Yurio, he would probably drag them all to one of the many ice rinks they had in their hometown because that was their way to relax and let go of all the stress they had to live under most of the time.

It wasn't that long ago that Yuuri would visit the restaurant to greet his mother who used to cook there and, when she'd be done with her work, they would take the leftovers with them and walk home together, where his father was waiting. After dinner Yuuri would go to the ice rink near by and meet his friends so they could practice together. That was how his life had been since he was born and now, 24 years later, everything was different.

His mother taught Yuuri how to cook from an early age, because one day the restaurant would belong to Yuuri – and it happened sooner than later because of certain circumstances.

Yuuri sighed heavily when his mind recalled why he was even there and it had nothing to do with the fact that he didn't want to be there. He enjoyed what he was doing, it was his second favorite thing to do. What made him sigh was that he didn't plan to work there when he was 24 years old.

“Yuuri! I got the tomatoes!” Phichit announced after he entered the kitchen from its back exit. In his hands he carried a box and its surface was covered by snowflakes which slowly melted because it was far too warm inside the kitchen. “Chris said he'll quickly change his clothes and help us in a couple of minutes.”

“That's good, thank you.”

No, Yuuri never imagined his life to become this so soon but it happened and, for now, he couldn't change that nor think about it much. He returned to cooking and told Phichit what needed to be done after he asked Yuuri. He was glad that his childhood friend replaced the silence with his cheerful chatter about what he had been doing before coming to the restaurant and distracted them both from the current situation their country was in.

When Chris arrived he simply announced his arrival and hurried to the restaurant to see if Otabek and Yurio needed some help. Some wondered how it was possible for only five people to run the place and yes, three years ago there were far more people working there, but only because they had far more customers. But that changed and now it was enough to have a staff of three to five people because the royal and rich population avoided visiting this country. And those who came, weren't exactly good people, just like their king.

King Dimitri Nikiforov.

He used to be a kind and gentle king who cared about his people and country. He protected them from coldness and hunger, from poorness and from war, just like his father did. Their kingdom had been a peaceful one but not weak. However, everything changed after his wife left him and took their son with her twelve years ago. Yuuri remembered that day well, how the rumors were going viral and when no one saw the queen again, those rumors became the truth.

And in the past three years things just became worse for the people from Korivan.

“The last guests have left.” Otabek announced after he entered the kitchen and took the last two plates with him.

Yuuri, Chris and Phichit nodded and started to clean up the kitchen, all of them looking forward to go home. Yuuri packed all the leftovers into several boxes and handed them to Chris and Phichit who fastened the boxes to their sledges because it was easier to transport things, since the pavements and roads were mostly covered with snow and ice.

“Luckily we don't have to work here every evening. Otherwise I'd go nuts.” Yurio announced after they locked all the doors and left the restaurant through the back exit.

“You can thank our Majesty for that, since he's the reason we don't have that many customers anymore.” Chris said and caused Yuuri and Phichit to chuckle while Otabek just smiled. Yurio though glared at Chris, half of his face hidden by a scarf.

“I'd do a lot of things to our Majesty but thanking him is not one of them.” Yurio knew better than to say out loud in public what he truly thought about their king or what he'd like to do to him. After all, his guards and soldiers could be waiting just around the corner and anyone who'd say something bad about their king, was going to be punished in some way. And the people were already punished enough by their once kind king.

“At least the king makes sure we have all the ingredients we need so we can cook what his guests want. Aaaand, we can keep the leftovers and share them with people who have nothing.” Phichit said only for them to be heard, trying to point out that one positive thing.

No one said anything but Yuuri smiled gratefully at his friend for that as they kept on walking until they reached a part of their town that also used to be beautiful and taken care of, but nowadays showed how poor it was. Most houses were empty, lights broken and things forgotten and rusty. It was almost like some sort of ghost-town and it left a bad taste in Yuuri's mouth whenever they went there, not to mention how much it hurt him to see what a part of their home was becoming.

Each of them carried a box and they entered one of the bigger buildings and were greeted by a bunch of people who looked pale and hungry but still had a smile on their tired faces. Phichit's cheerful voice filled the room, followed by Chris' and Yuuri soon joined them too. They opened the boxes, with the still warm food and drinks, and shared it with all the other people. They weren't the only ones doing that though. There were still some people who owned a garden and cooked meals, not just for themselves but also for everyone else who had nothing.

It was one of the things Yuuri also loved about his home and one of the things that they weren't exactly famous for. The people in Korivan stuck together, just like the monarch taught them, and the kindness of their king or queen was shared within their people as well.

Well, that's how things used to be but now things were different and it was not just about the people who lost almost everything and suffered through hunger and cold. No. Part of the kindness and the strong bond that the people of Korivan shared got lost and, while Yuuri and his friends still cared, others didn't.

Yuuri handed a huge plate filled with all kinds of food, to a man who walked to his wife and son. He watched for a while how they gave their child more to eat than they ate themselves. It hurt seeing that, it hurt seeing old people shivering because of the cold. It hurt watching a mother trying not to cry because she was scared of the future of her three kids. It hurt to know that whatever they had could be taken away by their king, any day, at any moment. Money became useless in the past year because there was nothing you could buy. The gardens, the deliveries to their restaurant, the reward their king granted some people through food and clothes, that was what mattered and they managed to create their own supporting system since the royal people didn't care about them most of the time.

Yuuri sighed when these dark thoughts tried to occupy his mind again and looked away from the people, who ate their food with gratefulness and tears in their eyes, to watch Yurio and Otabek.

Yurio, even though he had a big mouth and came across as dangerous and rude and even childish, understood their situation just as good as Chris, who was the oldest of them with his 26 years. But he also knew that the kids didn't, and seeing their parents and fellow Korivans worried and crying, was nothing their young eyes should see all day long. So he made it his mission to entertain the kids through stories he came up with and funny voices and faces he made while telling. It was such an endearing part of his personality and Yuuri wished Yurio wouldn't be afraid to show that gentle side of him. But he had his pride and he had to be strong just like all of them. But sometimes, when Yurio felt like no one was watching and he and Otabek read a book together on the couch or watched something on the TV, his guard fell. It was a good thing, Yuuri figured in the past years, and nothing surprising considering that Yurio and Otabek knew each other since their childhood.

Otabek though was different from Yurio and maybe that was why they fit so good together and complimented each other. While Yurio distracted the kids, Otabek talked to some shady people – as Phichit liked to describe them. It was no secret that Otabek knew people and ways to get certain things and to also get things done, but none of them asked about how legal all of that actually was because he never got into trouble. Honestly, they didn't really want to know and Otabek never gave them a reason to doubt him. In fact, in the past year, his connections turned out to be helpful because they were able to get things, their king was responsible for. Like clothes, food or wood for their fireplaces and – especially – these rare stones that had some sort of power inside them and were able to produce warmth and light.

Yurio liked to describe it as magic.

“We're almost done here.” Chris said as he approached Yuuri with a box that was filled with empty plates and fastened it back to the sledge.

“Yeah, we should go home soon and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.” Yuuri sighed, feeling the fear returning when he thought about what would happen in just a week. An anxiety that he had been dealing with all his life but only became worse since their king changed.

“Right, the king's icy dance is next Saturday.” Chris sighed and took the box out of Yuuri's hands to fasten it too.

Chris was one of the most talented ice skaters Yuuri knew who taught Yuuri a lot, even though he wasn't exactly the type to seduce people, like Chris could. Some might say that Chris was too open and too easy and too sexual but that was just what he wanted people to see and, those who were his friends, knew that he was not just that but also loyal, caring and supportive. He was a good person who wasn't scared to do the right thing. He could do a lot of things beside ice skating, like fixing furniture, doors, windows, stuff like that and he was also a doctor and took care of people with broken bones, wounds and whatever pain they had. It was fun to watch the Chris he was on the ice and then the Chris with glasses on his nose – just like Yuuri – taking care of people in need.

Phichit was equally talented and hardworking. He was the guy who took pictures all the time, smiled as if he had swallowed a piece of the sun and that smile was contagious. But even if he came across as a bit naïve – perhaps – he was, just like Chris, loyal, understanding and brave and he was good at sewing and creating clothes. After their town got abandoned by their king, Phichit made it his mission to visit the empty houses and see what he could find – especially old clothes he would fix at home and give to those who had none.

They all were different and had their strengths and weaknesses but they all created a system to help each other through these hard times. Though Yuuri wondered what he could do beside cooking because he felt like he needed to do more but... he couldn't. He was a good ice skater but his nerves got the better of him too many times and he fell or missed a jump because of the anxiety he had inside him. He wasn't good at fixing things, sewing either, shady people scared him and talking to people took far too much strength.

Beside the four people he lived together with, he had no other friends. Not to mention that he had never been in a relationship. And all of that bothered Yuuri a lot, more than he was ready to admit out loud, but his friends probably knew.

However, this was not the time to think about the issues he had with himself. After all he managed to ignore his thoughts most of the time when he was around other people. He did his best and did what needed to be done.

Yurio and Phichit helped them to fasten the remaining boxes and soon Otabek joined them as well.

“I have good news.” he announced, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. “My friends said that they'll deliver all the things we need to fix the broken homes. And we'll also have other people helping.” Otabek was the only one who found use in their futile money because people outside of Korivan – who found roads and ways to get inside without the king and his guards noticing – still needed it.

“Amazing!” Yurio exclaimed and the other three smiled as well. Yuuri sighed out of relief because that was really good news, since it took so long to fix the houses by themselves and most people were either too weak to work for too long or their resources weren't simply enough. Otabek announced that to the people as well and Yuuri watched their faces light up, their eyes filling with happy tears and heard their whispered thank you's filling the room.

To say that the people hated their king was an understatement and it was sad enough that the people couldn't rely on the king who once promised to take care of them. No, now it was their job and that was also the reason why Yuuri and his friend's stayed there. It was their home and they couldn't abandon it just like that.

Whatever they could do, they did it.

Though he wondered if things would ever change. He thought about that whenever he was alone or every evening before he went to sleep and looked out of his window to see the white castle of their king.

That evening – after they came home to sleep – he sat at his window and looked at the white castle. From the outside it looked so pure, so clean and beautiful that no one would guess that inside lived a king with a heart that probably turned into stone, entirely corrupted because his wife left him and everyone needed to suffer through his pain as well.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Yuuri got up early to prepare breakfast. He called him and his friends lucky that they had a house that was not broken and that functioned well so they could live without freezing or being hungry. It was the only advantage they had for working in that restaurant and serving the royal and rich people. His parents gave the restaurant to him and his friends after they managed to convince their families to leave the town and live somewhere else because it was simply too dangerous. That had been a year ago and once a week they called their families to tell them that they were fine.

The house wasn't big but it was enough space for five people to live in – although Yurio and Otabek shared a room, which neither of them minded. Yuuri's and Phichit's room was upstairs while the other three had their rooms downstairs and in the attic they kept their costumes for ice skating and other things. Downstairs was the kitchen, two bathrooms and a huge living room where they spent their time together and whenever someone needed time for themselves they were free to go into their room.

It was a rather weird living arrangement, but this was still their home, warm, filled with books and little things they didn't really need but kept because of the nostalgic value they had.

“Morning Yuuri.” Chris yawned after he left the bathroom and joined Yuuri in the kitchen.

“Good morning.” Yuuri said as he cooked the scrambled eggs. “I'm almost done with breakfast and then I'll prepare hot drinks before we go to the ice rinks.”

“I can do that though. You're going to the garden later anyway, right?” Chris asked as he stood up from his chair.

“Yeah, but I can prepare the drinks.” Yuuri confirmed and didn't look at his friend to avoid a certain topic. But Chris wasn't having any of that since he knew Yuuri and how far he could push him.

“Yuuri, don't do that.”

Yuuri said nothing because he knew where this was going, just like Chris did.

“You're an amazing skater and you're just as talented as the rest of us, if not even more. But the cute head of yours is holding you back. Don't think less of yourself or that you aren't doing enough to help our home and the people.”

Yuuri didn't sigh or say anything because there was no point in going against the words Chris said. He wouldn't believe Yuuri anyway and only look at him with an expression he really didn’t want to see. Pity and sympathy, because Chris was right. Yuuri couldn't handle his doubts and anxiety well. Maybe only when he stopped thinking and, yes, when he skated and was really into it he managed to do a lot of things. Everything, if he truly wanted to.

“I know you'd like to participate in the AKID because you like a challenge and you love ice skating. But you also want to do more for us, which you already do, but... I understand, you know? And I'm sure you could blow the king's mind with your performance.”

AKID was the term they used for 'The King's icy dance' but actually the king called it 'The Monthly Skater Performance'. Around the king and the guards they did name it like that to avoid any sort of trouble. But safe in their homes and far away from royal ears, they had their own name for his sick game.

At the end of each month king Dimitri gave his people the chance to perform inside his castle on his personal ice rink and wow him with a flawless performance. It was the only way to win food, clothes, things the king knew his people needed. And many participated but only a few actually won. The anxiety of failing was deeply anchored inside the people and the need for basic things to survive, vivid in their faces. Some failed because they were too weak, some because of stress and anxiety and some because they didn't have enough practice.

“You know what happens to those who fail, Chris. I don't want to cause any trouble.” Yuuri said but there was more than just that.

Whoever failed a performance, a jump or simply didn't please the king, got punished. And there were many ways the king woulddo that. Sometimes he took something from the person who failed - food, clothes, money, whatever seemed to be important. Sometimes he put them in jail for several days and let them starve. Sometimes he kept them in his palace and let them skate for hours until their feet were bleeding and their bodies aching.

Yuuri didn't want to be one of those people and he once heard that the king didn't hesitate to kill someone after declaring the person a traitor to the crown, even though they didn't do anything like that.

It was crazy, unreal, frightening and so unfair what happened in their town and what happened to the people, that Yuuri himself was controlled by all of that and refused to skate. It made him feel so bad about himself watching his friends practice whenever they could and walk inside the palace with a courage and confidence he wished he had himself.

“Remember the day when we came here, Yuuri?”

Yuuri stopped what he was doing and recalled that day as if it happened yesterday. Yes, the five of them decided to stay and help the people, save their town and they all were confident, positive they could do something and his friends still carried that hope within them. He was hopeful too, he was certain that one day things would change for the better, but the voices in his mind wouldn't stay silent.

“I do... and I still believe that we can do something together. But... after all the things we've tried and all the things we've seen... it's hard, you know?”

“I know. I get it but don't let that fear control you, alright? Whatever happens we've got each others backs.” Chris smiled and squeezed Yuuri's shoulder.

Chris didn't say more and Yuuri was grateful for that. Yurio, Otabek and Phichit joined them in the kitchen and together they ate breakfast, prepared the tea and coffee and some snacks, before they got dressed and left their home together, their blades hanging from their shoulders.


	2. Tradition

 

As they walked to the ice rinks on that Saturday morning in January, Yuuri couldn't help himself but think about the conversation he had with Chris. He thought about the things his mom told him had happened when he wasn't around and about the things they had done and what they had seen with their own eyes. How the king's guards and soldiers broke into houses and stole things from his own people, things that were essential to survive.

That he didn't have any nightmares was almost like a miracle to Yuuri.

He wondered for a long time why a king who had everything, would do that but it didn't take him too long to find the answer for that. If the king took everything from his people and only let them have little, they had no choice but to participate at the AKID to 'win' back part of the things that were taken from them. It was a cruel and heartless act that made the people despise their king even more.

It was no secret, not really, but no one was stupid enough to share their thoughts outside of their homes. Especially not when he recalled the night he heard a woman and her children crying, while the father yelled at the king's men to leave them alone. He heard gunshots, swords being used and the sound of bodies falling and voices making their last noise. The king was cruel, yes, but he was apparently sane enough to not kill all of his people and Yuuri knew that staying alive, hungry and freezing and clutching to the little hope they had left, was really better than to simply die.

These dark thoughts, though, left him and became ridiculous because whenever he saw the people he had known all his life gather together around the many ice rinks they had, Yuuri could see the hope that was alive and still shining inside them even in the darkest nights.

The sun was shining soft and warm down on them and, while kids glided over the ice and parents taught them how to do swirls and simple jumps, others were gathered together at the tables and benches they had, to share warm drinks and food they prepared in their homes. Any person who would have seen this peaceful scenery would have never thought that they were all actually suffering and though Yuuri knew what the truth was, seeing that made him happy.

Yuuri watched the people skating on the ice trying to not think too much and enjoy the simple feeling of the wind blowing away all their worries and fears about the next day. He thought that it was almost a miracle that ice skating itself didn't become a complete burden but remained what brought them all together just like it always used to be. The parents taught their children how to skate, the professionals taught others to become better so when they participated at the AKID they had a chance to win.

He saw how hard they all worked on themselves and the burden they were all carrying with them whenever they failed a jump or forgot a certain move in their performance. He sat down on a bench, put on his blades and skated for some minutes while he watched the others. No matter how unfair and utterly ridiculous the AKID was, everyone practiced and tried to become better in the hope of winning something when they attended the 'competition'.

Yuuri felt bad about how people who weren't as good as him still performed at the AKID without any hesitation and he wished he had the same courage.

With a sigh he skated to the rink walls where Chris was giving away warm drinks since Yuuri's group of people – to which he taught how to skate – wasn't there yet.

“Brings back memories, huh?” Chris commented while he handed Yuuri a cup with tea.

“It does.” Yuuri said with a small smile. “We've been here every day since we were able to walk. I'm really glad that even though things are very difficult we still have this.”

“It still feels like it used to, you're right. Ice skating has always brought us together and it still does even though it's been so cruelly used by the king.” Chris agreed.

Which country could say that they owned several ice rinks and that ice skating was part of their culture? Yuuri, who had traveled the world with his friends, hadn't met a place like their home and it made him feel pretty proud of his hometown.

It has always been like that.

They would gather together at the rinks and skate ~~d~~ , share food and have a good time, filled with laughter and songs. It was still like that although not as loud and cheerful because what used to be fun became now a helpful distraction to forget their worries for a while.

“Those kids remind me of you, Phichit and I. We used to be just like them.” Chris started to remember and pointed at three kids helping each other back up on their feet when they fell. “Sometimes I wish to be a kid again so we wouldn't have to be worried about anything. But then I think we're doing a pretty good job so... I don't really want to complain.”

“Yeah... I guess we are.” Yuuri nodded and looked down at the cup in his hands.

He didn't want to think about the conversation they had that morning and managed to push those thoughts out of his mind.

“If you want to, I can take care of the drinks so you can go and practice a bit.” Yuuri suggested after he looked for his people that still weren't there.

“Huh? Isn't it your turn to teach today?” Chris asked confused and looked around to find Yuuri's students, as they liked to call them.

“No... it's weird though. They've been behaving a bit... distant in the past weeks.” Yuuri sighed and had an idea where they might have went. “Maybe they went to JJ.”

“Huh... could be. After all, JJ and his group win the AKID almost every time and they have everything we need to work hard for.” Chris said with a audible annoyance in his voice.

JJ was, as Yurio liked to name it, their 'rival'. He was a tremendous ice skater but with an awful personality and someone who had royal blood in him and was also treated better than every other citizen of Korivan. And since he had so much more than anyone else, some people decided to stand behind him, serve him and in return they were provided with all the things they needed, which lead to a division between the population. It was a sad fact but nothing Yuuri and his friends could focus on right now because JJ was only a small problem compared to what their king was doing.

Suddenly Yuuri heard people talking and saw them moving away from a certain spot and he groaned when he saw JJ approaching the ice rink with his followers. Also a scene that wasn't new because JJ 'visited' their ice rinks from time to time to 'woo' people so they would join him. It was stupid and ridiculous, Yuuri thought, because there was almost no difference between how JJ treated 'his people' compared to the king, although he wasn't as heartless and cruel. Luckily, however, most people were loyal and realized that JJ didn't really care about them but only about his own benefit.

“What does he want here.” Yurio groaned after he skated to Yuuri and Chris to get a cup of tea and also to stay far away from JJ. He hated his guts and it took them all a while to convince Yurio to stay away from JJ.

Not that Yurio was fine with that, but he understood the reason why. One, because it was inconvenient to have a black eye or scratches or worse when he needed to perform at the AKID and, second, JJ had a far too much influence and power and pissing him off would bring even more trouble. They already had enough trouble without deserving it in the first place.

“Look at him, calling himself King JJ and smiling all fake and talking big. Just wait until we meet at the AKID.” Yurio said through gritted teeth as he held his cup so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Right, Yuuri remembered. Yurio, Chris and Phichit were going to participate at the AKID next Saturday and he and Otabek would be part of the audience and they were only allowed inside because they worked for the restaurant and basically they were working for the king. It was bizarre and it felt wrong if Yuuri was completely honest, but through that they were able to help other people. And they were also able to actually talk to the king, which they had done in the past. Whenever the king called for them they tried to convince him to change the way he was ruling but one cold glare from his deep blue eyes was enough to tell them that they had no right to question him.

Phichit always said that, because Yuuri was such a good cook and pleased all the royal and rich people with his cooking, the king had mercy with them and didn't kill them right on the spot. Yuuri had never been more embarrassed and his face had never been redder than it was after that compliment – and of course he didn't believe in Phichit's words.

“Ignore him, Yurio. He's not worth our time.” Chris said when he gestured with his had to JJ who was approaching them with his smug smile and dripping confidence.

“Yuuri and his gang!” JJ exclaimed and made a big show of it so everyone could hear him. “Ready to get your ass busted next Saturday?”

Yurio was holding back although his rage was almost tangible - though they gave him credit for trying - and Yuuri only smiled without saying anything. Chris was far better at handling the situation and so was Otabek, who joined them as well when he saw JJ approaching.

“Shouldn't you be practicing, JJ? Instead of wasting your precious time here?” Chris asked nonchalant.

“I'm a talent, Chris. I don't need to practice as much as you guys do.”

Yuuri saw Yurio pretending to throw up while Otabek came closer to Chris and fixed his eyes on JJ. For some reason JJ was scared of Otabek and Yuuri wasn't quite sure if Otabek really could scare people – since he was his friend - with one simple look or if they shared some sort of past – which wouldn't be surprising considering who Otabek was hanging out with and the things he did in the background. Not that he shared anything of his 'dark business' with them, since he didn't want his friends to be involved and get into trouble.

“I don't recall that you have any kind of business here, JJ.” Otabek said and the smug grin on JJ's face disappeared. He probably felt pretty bold when he didn't see the person who scared him with a simple look because when he noticed him, he huffed, threw some weak threat at them and left the ice rink with his group of people.

“He does skate well though.” Chris said. “Too bad he isn't on our side and looking at the bigger picture. He could do so much good if he wanted to.”

“We are better than him. The only difference is that we have a heart and care about everyone. He only cares about himself,” Otabek pointed out without any anger in his voice, but calmly as if it were a fact.

“Beka's right though.” Yurio agreed with an annoyed expression while he rested his arms on the rink walls. “We know what winning means and rather giving everything we hold back and focus on doing a good job without any mistakes.”

Yuuri nodded slowly and looked back to the ice, watched the people, and his group wasn't there still. This only meant one thing and he hated to admit that because it made him feel like he failed.

“I don't think my students will come today.” he said instead because saying things like 'never' or 'anymore' where too heavy on his tongue to leave his lips.

“Maybe they are busy with other things, Yuuri.” Chris said as if he knew how Yuuri was truly thinking, and he most likely did.

“Yeah. No one here cares about JJ and what he promises because they know it's all bullshit.” Otabek added with a smile.

Yuuri smiled gratefully, but hearing again how his friends tried to cheer him up and make him feel less bad about himself, was also tiring. It shouldn't be that way all the time and it wasn't always like that, at least not as bad as it became in the past year.

“I'll go and take care of the garden then. I'll see you guys later.” Yuuri announced and left the ice rink without hesitating. He really needed some time for himself and think about simply everything. Because even though he tried to not think in a depressing way he had also been avoiding a lot of thoughts that he needed to think about.

It didn't take him long to reach their house and walked around it through a small passage between their house and the one of their neighbors, so he could get into their garden. Since it was impossible for anything to grow when the ground was covered in snow, they managed to built greenhouses that didn't let any warmth out nor cold inside. He opened the door and took off his beanie, scarf and coat because it was simply too warm. Yuuri smiled when he saw all the plants growing with vegetables and fruits they needed for the restaurant and for themselves. A little paradise that still belonged to them and they believed that the king wouldn't take it away from them. Still, there was no guarantee for that.

He went to the sink and filled a watering pot to water the plants and while doing that, Yuuri recalled his past and how things used to be.

He remembered the king and queen, watching them from afar from their balcony and how they greeted their people whenever there was some special occasion. He remembered how Phichit, Chris and him started skating together the moment they could walk, every morning and evening and during school – since it was part of their education program. His childhood had been a good one even though he had a hard time making friends beside Chris and Phichit but he never needed anyone else. All that mattered was his family, the friends he had and ice skating.

He remembered how his hometown used to be filled with visitors and tourists and how he and his two friends performed a program for those strangers when they were old enough and good enough to do so. The nervousness that filled him vanished into nothing the moment he skated and blocked everything out and he loved it. He loved to perform, to skate to music and tell a story, the feeling of the wind and cold on his skin and in his hair.

He remembered how the people from the town gathered together at the ice rinks to skate, share food and drinks, sing songs together and teach others new jumps and share new songs. A peaceful and beautiful gathering around white snow, warm lights from lampions hanging from rooftop to rooftop and tree to tree – it almost looked like those lights were flowing in the air at night. He was so proud of his town and its people, so happy and far more confident. But back then he didn't need to be worried about food or clothes or surviving in general. Back then the rumors about the queen and her son missing were already rising since no one saw her anymore at special occasions.

But no one had been worried, no one believed that anything bad would happen and for a while nothing changed.

Yuuri graduated from school, started to study and focused on ice skating still, together with his two friends. Yurio and Otabek, who were younger than Yuuri, he knew them since they were kids as well and watched them grow while he finished his studies and so did Chris. Somehow they all became friends and, despite the age gap, they functioned well together and created their own ice skating show. Supported by their families, they decided to travel through the world and perform wherever they could and just live.

Yuuri wondered if their families sent them away because they wanted to protect them. He never asked his parents but he was certain that that was the reason. Things were getting bad than but things got even worse during the year they traveled and returning and seeing what happened they were angry, devastated and yet, somehow, managed to convince their families to leave the town and find a safe place. It took them a lot of convincing, but their determination and their love for their home was enough.

However, Yuuri missed the days when he was carefree and felt safe. He missed his parents, his sister and he missed all the things that made everyone happy. No fears, no worries, he wanted to feel the way he used to and not this numbing anxiety that was like some sort of shadow, reaching out with its claws and holding him back from doing more, from living, from growing and changing. He wanted to change, he wanted to do more because he knew he could do so much more.

But his head wouldn't let him and whenever he realized that, the tears just fell and wouldn't stop. He wondered if anyone knew how many times he cried alone.

 

* * *

 

It was Friday, the day before the AKID, and while Yurio, Chris and Phichit were practicing, Yuuri went to the restaurant with Otabek to clean the place and prepare everything they needed for the next day. After all, whenever the AKID took place, Yuuri and his friends expected more guests than usual so whatever they could prepare beforehand they did. He hoped that things would go well for his friends tomorrow mixed with the common concern that existed alongside his hope. Otabek was, as usual, calmer but Yuuri learned to read his stern face and tell what it meant. He was worried too, hoping as well that their friends would perform a solid and flawless skate.

It wasn't like they didn't believe in or trusted their friends, because they did, but just because everything went well to this point, it didn't mean that their nerves wouldn't get the better of them. Which would have been understandable considering how living under those circumstances was becoming harder to handle with each passing week.

Otabek locked every door in the front while Yuuri waited for him at the back exit so they could walk home together. He still needed to prepare dinner for the other three so they'd have enough energy for tomorrow.

After locking the door of the back exit they walked home and Yuuri smiled when he looked around and saw the occupied houses, warm light shining through the windows and from the lampions above them. It gave him the illusion that things were good for a while and the hope that, one day, every house would be occupied and filled with warmth and life.

The next day Yuuri got up early to prepare breakfast and he was on the edge. His mind constantly came up with images of what could happen to his friends during the AKID but he tried to shake all those horrible ideas off and believe in his friends. After all, they were too talented and knew too well what failing meant and they wouldn't want to cause any trouble nor get punished because their home needed them all. Yet, his body didn't listen and several things slipped out of his hands. A glass, the shattered on the ground, a spoon that flew through the kitchen and he managed to burn the milk and leave a disaster. He felt awful since he wasn't even the one competing and still he was the one losing his nerves.

“Let me help you.” Phichit said after he left the bathroom and noticed the mess and a Yuuri, who was as white as a ghost.

“Thanks.” Yuuri mumbled and started to pick up the shattered glass. Yurio an Otabek went to the attic to get their costumes and Chris helped to prepare breakfast. Yuuri listened to them, watched them, their happy chatter and how there was no sign of nervousness in their faces. He wondered how they managed to do that, how they did what needed to be done without their thoughts holding them back.

Chris once told him that he needed to change his way of thinking, but that was easier said than done when all that surrounded him was life threatening and heart breaking.

After breakfast they got dressed and left the house to meet the others who were going to attend the AKID. There it was, another heartbreaking view when Yuuri looked at the faces of the people who weren't as talented as he and his friends were but still wanted to give it a shot. He saw how the color in their faces was gone and their eyes tired and showing the small measure of fear. Phichit and Chris did their best to cheer them up while Yurio looked like he was ready to kill someone.

As they made their way through the town with all the other people who were to attend the AKID, the others Korivans looked out of their windows, stood in front of their doors and wished them good luck and to come back safely, their faces hopeful but the worry lines still visible. They couldn't watch the competition since it was only allowed for those who competed and for those the king chose – mainly royals and rich people. It was the only day – besides when they worked in the restaurant - they put effort into the way they looked since it was an event for the upper class.

No one wanted to be judged by the rich people or get into any sort of trouble just because they looked poorly. Luckily ice skating was a tradition and the king allowed some of his people to keep their good clothes and costumes. But it wasn't enough. So Yuuri and his friends borrowed their costumes and Phichit tried to create new ones with the few things they had. Costumes were the last thing they needed but it was necessary for the AKID to impress the king and win the things they needed. It was sick, Yuuri thought.

As they arrived at the gate of the castle the guards stepped forward and demanded their allowance to enter. One after the other pulled out their letter which proved they were allowed to enter either as attenders or as guests and then the gates opened and Yuuri saw the mass of people all dressed up and looking happy, excited, healthy – unlike the rest of inhabitants.

The castle was big, beautiful with white and blue-ish silver roof, windows and doors. The ground under him was free from snow, same blue-ish silver color and around them were trees and flowers which were accustomed to the cold weather.

It was such a breathtaking view, the courtyard and the building itself and he had many good memories about this place when the gates weren't close and their royal leader was still kind and caring. Now it was all a mask and nothing more, hiding what dark mind was behind these walls.

The people who were competing didn't enter the castle through the main gate but through a door at the right side of the castle, straight to the changing rooms – yes, the castle had changing rooms and its own huge ice rink, since the queen and royal family itself consisted of professional ice skaters.

Yuuri and Otabek waved wordlessly when they got separated from their friends and wished them good luck. After that, they both didn't say anything anymore since they were surrounded by the king's 'friends' and needed to be more careful. Yuuri focused on his steps and the stairs leading inside the castle while Otabek listened carefully as he usually did to gather whatever information he could catch.

Inside Yuuri heard the new guests gasping at the beauty of the hallway, a winter castle out of a fairy tale with beautiful pillars of glass, framed pictures of the royal family along the wall and the beautiful lampions hanging down from the ceiling creating the illusion of little suns lighting up the room. They walked up the stairs to the stands so they could take their places and wait for the competition to begin. They sat in the first row and Yuuri held his hands together, cold and sweaty, while Otabek looked up to the balcony where the king would appear soon.

The voices became quieter, the light weaker and then people started clapping when the king appeared. He was dressed as a king, with jewelry, a golden crown on his dark hair and blue eyes scanning the crowd. He waved at them, smiled without any warmth and sat down on his chair that looked like another throne. The guards stood right and left to him and then he welcomed everyone, held a speech about the AKID - Yuuri wasn't really listening because he heard it too many times and it was always the same hypocritical speech - and then the lights were focused on the ice.

The first person was a young woman, dressed in a beautiful dark red costume and smiling, although her eyes weren't shining with happiness. Still, her act was convincing and then the music began. Her performance was average but it entertained the people and the king seemed to be indifferent, which was good. A smile was a good sign, a smirk not so much and annoyance or boredom was the worst expression he could make because it meant punishment for the person who was performing. After the girl it was Phichit's turn and since he was a positive guy by nature, it didn't take too much effort to woo the crowd and make the king smile. His skating was a happy and fast one, with jumps that took years to learn and he kept his focus on the crowd and the smile on his face.

At first Yuuri was worried but the longer Phichit skated he became less concerned about his friend. Of course Phichit would not fall or risk anything and rather focus on a flawless and entertaining performance. When it was Chris’ turn he played it safe just like Phichit did, though his performance was rather sensual and sexual and Yuuri noticed people blushing, giggling and being totally enticed when he tried to seduce them with his body and skating.

Before it was Yurio's turn three other people tried their luck and one of them actually fell. The moment it happened Yuuri and Otabek froze on their seats and looked to the guards, waiting for them to do something, then they looked to the king who seemed to be rather unhappy with that failed jump but didn't move nor say anything. The guy – Yuuri knew him from the ice rinks where they all gathered together – stood up and the rest of his performance was flawless. Yuuri watched him leaving the ice, face pale and eyes wide because he was waiting for the guards to approach him, for anything to happen. But nothing happened and that only meant one thing. He would either get away with his missed jump or the punishment would come later – after all the king had a list with who was performing and where those people lived.

Yuuri hoped that Dimitri Nikiforov would show a bit of mercy, though that was unlikely to happen. The crowd started to clap when the next person entered the ice and it was Yurio which made Yuuri feel the, by now, familiar deep fear again. He trusted Yurio with his life but he also knew Yurio and how he was a little rebel, always trying to do everything to show the royals and everyone who was involved that he was fighting against them. His performance had always been either an innocent one or a dramatic one and Yuuri knew that, today, he would go for drama. Aggressive drama, as they liked to name it.

The music started, loud and like someone was declaring a war and Yurio went off, showing what he could do and not holding back. Yuuri held his hands up, close to his face so he could cover his eyes because it was too much to take in and he didn't want Yurio to get punished. Otabek, to his right side, seemed to be a bit worried as well but he, as usual, was better at hiding it. Yuuri looked back to the ice rink and whenever he thought Yurio would fall or hurt himself, he didn't. His performance was flawless and the people were going wild after he was done, clearly breathless from too many jumps and skating a bit faster than usual.

The king though seemed more than pleased and was even clapping.

“He wanted to be better than JJ.” Otabek said after Yurio left the ice. “I told him that he shouldn't risk anything but you saw it yourself.”

“Yurio,” Yuuri sighed and shook his head. “Talking to him will be pointless since he understands the situation. I guess Chris will call him out anyway.”

“Yeah, I'm sure he will. But he didn't fall, so that's good.” Otabek said and Yuuri could see how proud he was. He was proud himself and Yurio's performance would bring a good win for them, he was sure of that. However, he couldn't help himself and feel edgy because he knew he could do the same, perform and surprise the audience. And he wanted to because ice skating was what he loved. But his anxiety was still stronger and holding him inside this cage he created for himself to keep himself together somehow.

 

* * *

 

The moment they entered their home Yurio exploded – after putting the boxes with food safely on the table in the kitchen.

“How is it possible that that asshole won?! I was better than him!” He was yelling about JJ who, unsurprisingly, won. Yurio started to swear and complain, and he had every right to do so because he was right. His performance was better than JJ's but he was the king’s favorite and not only because of his capability but also because of his status. Though, soon, Yurio was too exhausted from all his little tantrum and decided to focus on the win he and the other two made.

“We should get some sleep and share everything with the others tomorrow.” Chris said and everyone agreed, returning to their rooms.

Yuuri feared the night because he knew he wouldn't get any sleep. Every night after the AKID the town was more silent than usual and an almost touchable tension started to grow with each passing hour. Yuuri waited for the footsteps, for the voices, for the horrible sounds that would soon surface and remind everyone, that even though they tried to win and to live, the king knew no mercy.

His window was closed, the blanket around his body close to his face and he tried to sleep, force his mind to stop running circles but his ears were alarmed and took every sound in.

And then it happened.

He heard the heavy footsteps of the king's guards, heard them walking past his home and stopping minutes later at a door. He heard the guy from before begging to leave them alone, he heard a child crying and imagined the mother calming her kid. He heard how one of the guards gave orders to look for something expensive, for things that didn't belong there and that they didn't deserve – it was laughable because there was nothing the king could take from anyone anymore, no one was stupid enough to keep something precious in their homes.

But they took whatever they found, considering that those who failed to entertain the king needed to pay for it somehow.

It wasn't the last house they visited that night. It was one of many because after every AKID the king made sure that his people would attend the next by taking away what they needed to survive. A tradition; it was the sarcastic way to name those nights.

Yuuri pressed his hands against his ears and tried not to cry. All he could do was shake with fear and yet hope that somehow, someday, they would find a way out of this hell.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for the late update but my beta and I are pretty busy right now and our schedule doesn't always match. But we'll do our best to update as soon as possible :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for all the kudos and comments, I appreciate it a lot! Thank you!


	3. Broken Glass

 

Yuuri figured that, sometimes, it was better to feel nothing at all.

He was tired of this constant anxiousness keeping him from sleeping and he was tired of worrying if what he said did held some consequence that could not only cause trouble to him, but also to the people around. He was sure that almost everyone who had to deal with similar feelings thought about that at some point, when things became too much to bear. And the next morning, after the AKID, was that kind of day, and it made him wish to feel nothing at all.

The reason for that was not the broken windows of some houses, nor the mess the guards left after going through people's rooms looking for stuff they could take from them. No, he could deal with that because fixing a window or cleaning was nothing compared to all the other things the king's men did.

“I'm sorry, Layla.” Yuuri heard Chris saying, trying to comfort a young woman and watching three other men carrying out a body, covered in white fabric so no one could see the corp, out of the house.

Yuuri knew that person. Daniel was his name and he was only a year older than him. They had never been friends nor did they talk much, but they went to the same school, greeted each other whenever they met and skated together on the same ice. Yuuri had known that person all his life and knowing that he would never see him again was weird, but nothing new.

Daniel was not the first one to die.

“I told him to keep calm but he didn't listen.” Layla sobbed through tears and shaking hands. “That idiot! I told him to keep calm and not-” She broke down in tears and another woman started to comfort her.

“I'll come back later, Layla. I need to take care of others, alright?”

Layla nodded while sobbing through sadness and anger because her husband wasn't with her anymore and Yuuri was almost sure that she simply nodded, even though Chris words never really reached her mind.

“Come on, Yuuri.” Chris spoke to him, shaking Yuuri out of his thoughts.

Right, he said he would help Chris today while the others fixed what could be fixed and cleaned what needed to be cleaned. It was the same as every day after the AKID but today was one of the worst days, Yuuri thought. The first time someone got killed was a huge shock and made everyone realize how serious and dangerous their situation actually was.

The first time someone got killed by the king was over a year ago and many believed that it was an accident back then. Rather, they wanted to believe that it was an accident, while others believed it happened on purpose and the guards knowing exactly what they were doing. That was also the reason why Yuuri and his friends told their families to leave this place, just like anyone else who could, did. After that, more died because of the brutality the guards used and some disappeared, but the people learned to bow down to their king and so less and less people got killed.

However, no one forgot what happened and if someone was murdered it was a shock, yes, but it became a part of their daily life and it sickened them all.

“Are you okay, Chris?” Yuuri asked his friend, who kept a straight face.

“Yeah... I'm fine, nothing I haven't seen before.” Chris answered with a smile and showed Yuuri only for a brief moment how tired he was. Yes, they all perfected a mask to hide what they truly felt, some better than the other.

They joined the group of hurt people and Chris took care of one after the other. No one was hurt in a life threatening way but all of them were simply tired and drained from the inside. Yuuri did the best he could by smiling, talking and most importantly listening to people he had known for so many years. He assisted Chris as if he hadn't done anything else in his life and only in the afternoon they were able to go back to their home.

Chris excused himself to take a nap and told them to wake him up when it was time to share their win with all the other Korivans. Yuuri watched him disappear into his room while Phichit, Yurio and Otabek prepared the boxes for later and Yuuri walked to the stove to start to cook. They all were tired after the AKID and the busy evening at the restaurant right after that – since some of the guests of the king came as usual. Only that day and the day afterthat, Yuuri thought they could all sleep in and get the rest they needed.

Silence filled the room only interrupted by the sounds of Yuuri's cooking and Yurio huffing from time to time, until he couldn't hold back anymore.

“Who does he think he is? Our beloved king,” Yurio snarled.

No one said a word because there was no answer for that.

“We should kill him.” Yurio announced from his chair, taking a sip of water.

“What!?” Yuuri exclaimed and widened his eyes as he turned around, wooden spoon in his hand and splashing the ground with some sauce. Did he hear right? Kill the king? Kill a person? No matter how bad of a person he was and no matter what he did, they didn't have the right to kill anyone.

“What, what? We can't let him keep on doing this.” Yurio defended his statement and looked over to Otabek who didn't respond at all but just looked between the two.

“I don't want to become a murderer. I don't want anyone of us to become a murderer.” Yuuri reasoned.

“But he can be one and get away with it?” Yurio asked annoyed and stared at Yuuri.

Yuuri said nothing because he couldn't say anything against the truth. Yes, the king was a murderer but did that justify for anyone else to murder him?

“We could poison him.” Otabek suggested after he took a bite from his apple.

“Yes! We could do that. After all, they order from the restaurant we're working at.” Yurio grinned, convinced from that idea.

“But we need to make sure that only the king eats the poisoned food.” Otabek said out loud.

“J...just stop! Are you even listening to yourself? We... we can't do that.” Yuuri interrupted them.

“Do you have a better idea?” Yurio asked.

“No... not yet... at least.” Yuuri said.

“See? And before he kills all of us just because he feels like it, we should kill him.”

Yurio said as if it was nothing. And maybe it was, Yuuri thought. Their king meant nothing to them. He was only the source of their suffering and, yes, everyone would have probably agreed with Yurio because then all of them would have been free. But what would happen after that? Who would be their next king or queen? Who would protect the people from other kingdoms trying to take over their home? Because rumor had it, some other kingdoms were just waiting for the fall of Dimitri Nikiforov.

“Guys, lets calm down. I know we're all shaken up by what happened but we need to calm down and think this through.” Phichit said, smiling like he always did.

“Yurio is right though.” Otabek said after a long moment of silence. “Things can't go on like this.”

“I know that. No one of us deserves this life. But killing the king? Do you think that is the only solution we have?” Phichit asked, his smile gone from his face.

“I really can't come up with a better idea. We tried to talk to him, we even stood up against him and paid many lives for that. He has weapons, men who protect him and follow his order. We don't have that but we know this town, we know ways and we can try things without catching his attention. Like poisoning him.” Otabek said.

“Let's assume we try to poison him,” Phichit tried and Yuuri gave him a look of disbelief which Phichit answered with a look that said 'I'm sorry but what can we do?'. “How can we be sure the king is the one eating or drinking the poison? We can't just send anything inside and hope he'll be the one taking it in. Which means, we need to get close to him, and how are we supposed to do that?”

“That's what we need to figure out,” Otabek said nonchalant and closed the box when he was done with packing the drinks and food. “There must be some way.”

“Don't you know some of the guards who are against the king? They can't be all bad, right?” Yurio asked.

“That's too risky. I did some research and talked to some of the people I know, but there is no one.” Otabek shrugged.

“Guys! Are you even listening to yourselves? We can't do that. It's dangerous!” Yuuri interrupted their discussion because he couldn't listen to his friends plotting a murder. “Killing someone... I can't do that.”

“We haven't decided anything yet, Yuuri.” Phichit said, his smile back on his lips as he tried to calm Yuuri down. “And if we all don't agree, we won't do it, right?”

Yuuri saw Otabek nodding without any hesitation but Yurio mumbled something under his breath and Yuuri blamed his young age for not understanding what it meant to kill a person. It wasn't like no one ever said that they wished their king was dead. But there also hadn't been a serious discussion about it until now, and Yuuri understood their situation and that it was a logical thing to do, considering everything. Even though under different circumstances no one would have ever wished for something like that.

The idea alone, imagining being responsible for someone’s death, was making Yuuri sick, feeling like he wanted to jump out of his body and run away somewhere else. But then Yurio nodded too as if he changed his mind, though they all knew better.

“Let's get this done.” Phichit announced more cheerfully, and continued packing the box.

 

* * *

 

The next day Yuuri and Chris went to the restaurant to prepare some things for the next day – some of the guests stayed longer and wanted to visit the restaurant again. The others were helping to fix the last doors and windows – thanks to Otabek and his friends they had the things they needed for that – that got damaged two nights ago and would go to the poor parts of their town to continue the repair there. They said they'd join them later to help.

But Yuuri felt like he needed time alone, far away from everyone and to calm down his mind. He wondered if he could excuse himself for today and use one of the ice rinks just for himself. It was Monday after all and that meant no one was going to skate. They were busy with their jobs, going into the woods to collect wood for the fireplaces, visit the hot springs to see if everything was still working so their houses would stay warm.

“Phichit told me what Yurio suggested.” Chris said while he was going through their inventory.

Yuuri was kneeling in front of their fridge and checking if everything was there but froze after he heard that. Right, they wanted to kill the king and that was the reason why he didn't get much sleep last night.

“I'm not... okay with that.” Yuuri admitted and closed the fridge because he couldn't focus anymore anyway.

“Me neither. But... they do have a point.” Chris sighed and put the list aside. “We tried talking to the king, we stood up against him and we tried more but with no success. And I don't think that there is any other option for us.”

“What about his heir? Didn't he have a son? His wife? What if they'll return and stop him?” Yuuri was grasping for a hope no one had. Their queen never returned after she left, nor did their son. They both abandoned their kingdom and went to live somewhere else. Some even believed that the king killed his family.

“They didn't return in the past ten years, Yuuri. Do you really think they will now? If they are both alive.” Chris said.

“You think he killed them?” Yuuri said, his voice barely a whisper.

“Who knows. I think it's just weird that not even his son ever returned, you know? Anything is possible, really. No one ever imagined for our king to become this cruel man, and yet, here we are. I just think that we need to do something or we'll die through hunger, cold or the king’s hand sooner than later, you know?”

“But...” Yuuri understood the reasons, he got it. “It'll make one of us... no. All of us will become a murderer.”

“Or a hero? Saviors? Killing a murderer who tyrants all of his people, do you really think someone will shed a tear for Dimitri Nikiforov?”

Yuuri didn't like how much sense his friends made, but what he disliked even more was the thought of killing another human being and that made him upset because there was literally nothing he could say against it. People would celebrate the death of their king and call whoever did that a hero or savior, it wasn't that hard to imagine. But, luckily, no one would do anything without them all agreeing to it and, for once he was grateful that the king was basically out of their reach.

It wouldn't be so easy to kill him.

“I don't agree with that. At least until we find a safe way to do that.” Yuuri said and his whole body was shaking. “I understand you guys but there is no way we can do it, right?”

Chris eyed him for a long time, his arms crossed over his chest and then he nodded slowly. “It's good to hear you say that though.”

“What?” Yuuri asked breathless. His body suddenly calmed down a bit.

“You've been very quiet for a long time and hearing you speak out your mind is a good sign.”

“I just... think it's wrong. That's all.” Yuuri repeated.

“Yeah, I agree with that but sometimes the wrong thing is the thing that needs to be done, you understand that, right?” Chris asked.

Yuuri nodded slowly and breathed out. He really wanted to be alone, he wanted to go to the empty ice rinks and skate for himself without anyone watching him. It had been so long since he did that, since he felt freedom, even though it was just an illusion. But for that little moment it was real for him.

“You know what, you should take a day off. I know that skating alone helps you clear your mind.” Chris suggested, and hearing him say that suddenly brought back the guilt Yuuri felt most of the days. Guilt that he was controlled by his fear more than anything and it made him weak.

“The others need help.”

“Yeah, but you can't help them when you're down. Come on, you deserve a break just like we all do. I took a long nap yesterday while you guys were busy preparing everything, see?”

“I guess... yeah. You're right. Thanks.”

They left the restaurant together and Yuuri went straight home while Chris walked towards the direction where the others were.

Though his guilt was still nagging at him, Yuuri managed to push it away and told himself that he needed this time alone, and it was fine.

Inside his home he went straight for his blades and left right after to get to the ice rink as soon as possible. He walked past the ice rinks they used for practice and teaching the others, and chose the bigger one, which used to be the ice they used to perform for visitors. It held so many good memories and, after putting his blades on, taking his coat off and entering the ice, Yuuri smiled to himself, remembering those times, while he simply glided along the rink walls.

Soon the coldness he felt after he took his coat off vanished and a familiar warmth through movement and the love for the ice replaced it. The warmth grew bigger and bigger, filling parts of his body that he had long forgotten about and, when he quickened his skate and after his first jump, all his dark thoughts left his mind. Another jump, another dark idea disappeared and it didn't take too long and Yuuri was skating an old performance he once presented in a front of a crowd that wasn't watching him fail but watching him tell a storyto a beautiful song. That song was playing in his mind and everything else didn't matter. His everything got lost in this very moment and he enjoyed every second, every movement of it.

A performance didn't last for too long, just some minutes. But Yuuri had something the others didn't have as much and that was his stamina. And although he reached the end of it, he started the next one and the next song played in his mind, dragging him into a world that was filled with this unique love for the ice and peace, far away from everything else.

But even that performance came to an end and Yuuri did feel how it became harder to breath and how his muscles begged for a break. Right, even though he had stamina and talent, he hadn't skated like that for a long time so it was only logical that his body asked for a break.

He stopped in the middle of the ice rink, breath leaving his mouth quickly and taking air in while he waited for his muscles to calm down, for his body to stop vibrating. Though he was quickly breathing and though his body was sweaty and shaking, Yuuri still smiled. A warm, wide smile he hadn't shown in a long time to anyone, not even himself.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead Yuuri was about to glide back to the rink walls when suddenly something big landed on his back, making him fall. It came out of nowhere so Yuuri fell hard, his glasses slipping down from his nose and breaking as they hit the cold ground. He couldn't see it but that sound was familiar because it was not the first pair of glasses that broke because he was ice skating. But without his glasses he was basically blind and when he found the mind and strength to hold himself up and turn around, he foundhimself face to face with a dog. A big brown dog with thick, soft fur. He could feel his breath on his chin and see him clearly – which meant that the dog was pretty close. However he couldn't remember that someone there owned a dog like that one.

“Makkachin!”

He heard someone calling and saw a blurry figure running towards them, a bit unsteady on the ice but not falling – even a professional would most likely slip while running over ice. The person slowed down and Yuuri still couldn't see the face nor did he recall a face that belonged to the sound of that voice. But it was a nice one, he figured, the closer the man came.

“I'm sorry! I don't know what gotten into him, but I suppose he liked the way you skated.” the man said with an amused tone in his voice.

Yuuri almost blushed when he realized that the guy had been watching him. Not that he wasn't used to that but this time he was skating for himself and that was always different. Skating alone Yuuri always was the most vulnerable.

“Let me guess, you're a professional skater?” the man asked excited and wow, okay, Yuuri could see his face clear as day which only meant one thing, he was close. Too close. But Yuuri couldn't move for the first seconds because the azure eyes had a shine inside them that made him forget everything around him for a while. Though, when he came to his senses he moved away a bit, he gulped the lump down in his throat and nodded. Who was this person?

“I knew it!” the other said triumphantly and then said softly. “You skated so beautifully, it was like you created music with your performance and I could hear it. It was breathtaking.”

Yuuri did blush then because being showered with compliments had always been hard to handle for him. It wasn't that easy to say thank you, and accept a compliment when your mind was working overtime and not producing words for his mouth to say. Just like it happened now.

Instead he moved his hand in front of his face but remembered that he had no glasses to push up his nose – something he sometimes did when he was embarrassed.

“Are you alright? Did Makkachin hurt you?”

“No! Er... no... I'm just... without my glasses I can't see a thing.” Yuuri said.

“Your... glasses?” the other said and looked around, gasped when he found the broken glasses. “I'm sorry for that. Of course I'll pay for your new specs since it was my dog who caused that accident.”

“No... I have a spare at home but... uh.” Yuuri blinked as if it would help to improve his sight. But it didn't and wouldn't.

“Right! I'll help you home, okay?”

Home? A stranger – with beautiful eyes though – should take him home? Yuuri shook his head as he slowly stood up and luckily his body wasn't shaking anymore from exhaustion.

“Don't worry, I'll... I'll be fine.” Yuuri smiled nervously and skated to what looked like the rink walls. It was a good thing that he knew this ice rink by heart. Though going home was a different thing. Of course he'd walked this way countless times but being half blind, put him into a different situation. Though, while he made his way to the benches where his coat and shoes were, he heard the man following him, but he never felt like this person was a threat or someone dangerous. Which didn't mean anything to Yuuri, he was defensive in general when a stranger approached him.

Someone with such a cute dog – because Makkachin kept walking around Yuuri and nudging his head against his hand all the time – couldn't be a bad guy, right?

“Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?” the other one asked and Yuuri could hear that he was smiling. With what was supposed to be a final nod from his head he proved the other and himself wrong. As he went to sit down on the bench he couldn't see it clearly and actually slipped down and fell on his backside. It hurt twice as bad because his body was still aching from the fall from before. There was a chuckle – and Yuuri blushed with embarrassment - and Makkachin nudged Yuuri with his head, as if he wanted to make sure he was okay.

“Come on, I'll help you.” the other man said and Yuuri made out that he was stretching out his hand towards him as it came close enough for Yuuri to clearly see it. “My name is Victor.”

Victor.

Yuuri didn't remember anyone with that name but it sounded... nice coming from his mouth, with that voice. Maybe his feeling wasn't wrong and Yuuri decided to trust it.

“I'm Yuuri.” he introduced himself after taking the hand – which was soft and warm, unlike all the other hands that were rough and cold because their lives were the same. It was a small thing no one who was living under better circumstances, would probably notice.

He sat down on the bench eventually and took his blades off to slip right into his boots and then wrapped his coat around his body as he noticed the cold hitting his body. While doing that he listened to Victor going on and on about his skating and how he wanted to see more of it because it was the best thing he had ever seen. He said all of these things so shamelessly and earnestly that Yuuri was at a loss of words to respond. Even for a simple 'thank you' or ask some kind of question.

Compliments really weren't easy to deal with for him.

But what made everything even harder for him to comprehend, was the fact that someone sounded so cheerful, like without a worry in his world, and only focusing on something he liked, wanting more of that. There was no bitter undertone in his voice because of the state Korivan was in, and there was no exhaustion because Victor didn't know what the next day would bring. It reminded Yuuri a bit of Phichit but it was still very different. A kind of positivity a grown up could only show perhaps, more like Chris, but with a glimpse of childishness.

Who was that person? He surely wasn't coming from here because if he did, he either belonged to the upper classes or perfected an act no one else managed to so far.

“I... don't skate like that anymore.” Yuuri admitted after Victor asked him if he would skate again, for him – and that little add made his heart pulse a bit faster. “I mean... as a professional. I'm just doing it to get my mind off of certain things.”

There was silence coming from Victor and Yuuri wished he could have seen his face clearly to read his expression. But there was enough distance between them – after he stood up, ready to go – that he couldn't make out his face.

“I understand.” Victor sighed and Yuuri fasted his blades together through the shoelaces and let them hang down from his shoulder. “Still, I think you should. It was amazing, really!”

Yuuri fumbled with his fingers blushing again after those words and tried to come up with something, with words to break this chain of compliments he couldn't deal with anymore.

“Th... thanks. But I... er... I need to go home now so...”

“Right!” Victor said, excitement filling his voice as Yuuri made to move and suddenly his hand was clear again, taking Yuuri's into his. Yuuri froze because all this physical contact was too much for him and making him dizzy in, perhaps, not the best way. “Tell me where to take you.”

Makkachin barked – just as excited as Victor judging by his wagging tail – and Yuuri told Victor where to go, more focused on the hand that was holding his, as on the steps he made. Definitely too much physical contact, he thought, but it didn't take long for his hand to get used to it though. Warm and soft, not squeezing his hand painfully but rather holding it in a safe and comfortable strength as if to show him that he was safe and that Victor would not let him alone in his rather vulnerable state.

Yuuri gave further instructions and listened carefully to what Victor was saying. Mostly it was about his skate – still! - and then about his dog, who had a thing for ice skating himself. But he never gasped or made a comment about the town and the state it was in because Yuuri knew that they did pass some houses that looked rather bad compared to others. Either Victor ignored it, didn't mind it or he was from here and knew better than to comment on it and point out how bad everything actually was.

“Are you from here?” Yuuri eventually asked when the questions in his mind became too many to actually count.

“Yeah, but I've been away for a while and just recently returned.” Victor informed him.

“But you don't live around here, right?” because if that would have been the case, Yuuri would have noticed him in the past year. Anyone would have when Yuuri listened to his positivity dripping from every word and looked at his face and eyes, looking anything but tired. Still, it was too little he saw to actually create an opinion or idea about who Victor was, but he learned from his friends to ask questions and be careful in front of strangers, no matter how nice they seemed to be. By what Yuuri knew Victor could be one of the king’s man in disguise.

“No, I don't. I'm living at the other end of the town.” Victor said and Yuuri guessed what that meant.

So he was one of those people who had money and a functioning home. There where JJ lived and where people had everything they needed and made it their mission to avoid the other half of Korivan, where people were struggling. Yuuri had met those people many times and he and his friends never got along with them. But Victor seemed different. Very different.

“Where now?” Victor asked when the road divided and Yuuri gave further instructions. Soon he could make out the familiar building that was his home and when he mentioned that, he felt how Victor actually squeezed his hand for a second. Again, his heart reacted in a weird way and he guessed that it simply had something to do with the warmth and softness. It was a new feeling he hadn't felt before but what it actually meant, or if it meant anything in the first place, found no answer. Maybe there was none.

“Here it is.” Yuuri said when the view became clear because he was close enough to his home. But judging by the sky above them it was pretty late and he wasn't surprised to hear the door open and Chris voice reach his ears.

“Yuuri! Where were you?!”

Chris figure was blurry but familiar and the closer he came the more Victor squeezed his hand, almost painfully. Makkachin, though, greeted Chris as if he was an old friend, with his tail moving and his paws moving up to touch Chris leg.

“A dog?” Yuuri heard Chris saying and, yes, it was really something new for them. “Who are you?”

Yuuri almost winced when he heard Chris voice becoming careful, almost alert. And then he imagined what it must have looked like, Victor holding his hand and probably smiling as if it was nothing but their daily life.

“I'm Victor. I helped Yuuri to find his way home because Makkachin broke his glasses.” Victor explained missing no beat – and he even made a step forward so he could stay in front of Yuuri as if he was trying to protect him from Chris which was... funny - and even pulling out the broken glasses from his pocket. Chris eyed him, the glasses and then the dog for a couple of seconds before his eyes fell on Yuuri's face and he was grateful that his blush was gone and what was left was the rosy color that appeared because of the cold. Chris still said nothing and his eyes were still on Yuuri, taking him in carefully and slowly to make sure Yuuri wasn't hurt.

“Really?”

“Yes, he's telling the truth.” Yuuri said and then Chris became a clear figure, separating their hands with a huff. “Thank you for helping Yuuri. I'll take care of him.”

Somehow Yuuri wanted to protest and invite Victor for a cup of tea or something to thank him properly, but then he remembered that this was something rather unusual to do during these days. Also, Chris probably had his reasons for the way he reacted and Yuuri, of course, trusted his friends more than anyone. Victor didn't protest and apologized again for the trouble.

“Okay, then I'll see you guys around.” Victor announced and Yuuri watched him leave while Chris dragged him back inside.

Somehow this didn't feel right but he wasn't sure what exactly felt wrong. Victor leaving or how Chris seemed to be pent up. Or maybe it was nothing of that because his hand still recalled the soft and warm feeling.

Chris left wordlessly – Yuuri was sure he went looking for his glasses – and Yuuri took his coat, scarf and boots off while he was gone. When he came back Chris handed Yuuri his glasses and he sighed when he was finally allowed to have a clear view but stopped in his tracks when he noticed Chris expression. There was a mix of concern and suspicious as he crossed his arms over his chest and then he noticed Otabek sitting on the couch watching them – no sign of Yurio or Phichit though.

“Are you okay?” Chris asked with a pushing undertone as if he dared Yuuri not to lie.

“Yes, I just fell because the dog jumped on me and then Victor... took me home. That's all.”

It took some time until Chris was convinced – he even turned around to see what Otabek was thinking and he simply shrugged, believing Yuuri right from the start since he was the one who could see when someone was lying or not.

“I suppose you couldn't see what that Victor guy looked like so I became worried.” Chris admitted, relaxing clearly. “I thought he was probably one of JJ's friends or some other rich person and tried to mess with you.”

“Did he look like that?”

But before Chris could answer someone knocked against their door and silence filled the room until they heard a bark, that could have only been coming from Makkachin. Yuuri, for some inexplicable reason, went immediately for the door and opened it. His breath stopped and his heart wasn't sure if it should jump like crazy or stand still for a second.

“Hey. I just wanted to ask if you guys will be at the ice rinks tomorrow. I thought about coming too, you know? It's been a while since I skated myself just for fun.” Victor asked with such a happy smile that it was almost blinding Yuuri because he wasn't used to that.

However...

When Yuuri finally was able to see Victor clearly he noticed right away that he was different from them. His clothes didn't look expensive but like he took care of them and had the means to do that. His skin was pale but not tired looking and his body wasn't thin in an almost unhealthy matter – from what he could see because the coat hid most of his body to really say something about the state of it. Yet, he mentioned that he skated as well, and Yuuri could see that still.

Now he understood why Chris reacted the way he did.

“Uh... I... guess.” was all he managed to say.

“Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow.” Victor's eyes were shining and his face lighting up with an honesty that became rare. With a final wave he and Makkachin left and Yuuri closed the door, hearing Chris huff behind him.

“Fun, huh? No one is skating for fun anymore most of the time.”

“Do you guys know him? He seems to know Korivan though.” Yuuri asked instead because yes, Victor seemed a bit weird, but maybe he was just better at handling the situation.

“Victor was his name, right?” Otabek asked after he left the couch and stood next to Chris. “I don't recall that name.”

“Me neither. But why do you think he's from here, Yuuri?” Chris asked.

“Victor told he that. I don't think he was lying.”

“Hm.” Chris hummed and then looked at Otabek who simply shrugged.

“He doesn't seem like a person who lies, but he could be good at pretending. Guess we should keep an eye on him. Someone like him who looks rather healthy in any sense became our natural enemy. But there are exceptions everywhere, right? And having a rich person with some connections could be good for us.”

It didn't surprise Yuuri how much further into possibilities Otabek was thinking. That was what he could do best after all and it was important, so they had another person – beside Chris – who looked at things in a logical and calm way. Though, when it came to his friends, Chris could also be rather ignorant to possibilities and alternative truths, just like it happened right now.

“He really didn't hurt you, Yuuri?” Chris asked and this time his eyes weren't observing him but trying to read him.

Yuuri swallowed and focused on his hand, on the feeling that Victor's touch caused. No, he did not hurt Yuuri. It was exactly the opposite, but that was not meant to be shared with anyone.

“No. He was really helping me, that's all.”

“Fine. I agree with Otabek. If Victor does appear again we should keep an eye on him.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Victor's finally here! Thank you for reading and let me know what you guys think :)


	4. The Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It took some time to get this chapter done because I wasn't sure if it was the right time to post it. But my beta and I decide to do it now because it felt right. This is Victor's POV. Hope you enjoy it!

 

The silence that filled the car in which Victor Nikiforov was sitting made him feel like he couldn't breath properly. Without Makkachin, who rested his head on Victor's lap, he would have been a nervous wreck and lose the connection to reality, but his dog managed to calm him down and make him smile, even though the prospect of what was waiting for him was no reason to smile.

Though Victor wondered how it was possible that his father became a tyrant – because there was no other way to describe it.

He looked out of the window and saw the lights from his hometown shining in the distance and the palace, white and beautiful, high as if it tried to touch the sky or be a guiding light in the darkness. Korivan was such a beautiful land and town that he felt a pang in his heart, releasing pain and anger when he imagined in what kind of state his home was now.

And, by any means, it wasn't easy to imagine.

When Victor remembered his childhood, there were almost only happy and beautiful memories. His mother, Valeria, was an ambitious but kind woman, who cared about her people but also about ice skating. And that's how Victor became an ice skater himself. He had talent and his mother supported that talent the moment she realized it. His father was not an ice skater but he loved the sport, and appreciated the unique art it was. He remembered the evenings when his father found time for him and his mother and watched them both ice skate inside the castle. Victor still remembered the happy and warm smile his father showed them both.

His life had been exactly like that for a long time. He was happy, his family was, and so were the people of Korivan. No war, no hunger, no broken homes but harmony and laughter, songs old as time sung by their people during the evenings. Even though he, as a prince, didn't spend too much time with the people, he still was able to watch them from his window. It hadn't been like Victor wasn't allowed to go into town and meet the people. The fact that he had to learn a lot kept him inside the castle most of the time. But that was alright because he had never been unhappy.

Life had been good until he turned fifteen and noticed that something had changed between his parents. The warm smiles were gone and in exchange became forced. The time they spent together became less and less and, at some point, his mother sheltered him from his father, talking about journeys and ice skaters she met when she was young. She talked about places and towns, food and traditions and Victor didn't think much about it but listened attentively and wished to see the places and taste the food his mother talked about. It was weird that his mother talked about it all the time but he didn't give it that much thought.

People changed, he knew that because he himself changed as well while growing up, so the same would happen to his parents. That was what he told himself and, one day, when he was standing in his room, his stuff packed and his mother dressed up, ready to leave, he didn't know what he felt. There had been excitement but when he looked at his father, standing at the door and looking rather sad, Victor wasn't sure if this had been right. His mother seemed in such a rush and his father seemed to struggle with words while he was torn between wanting to go on a journey and make his father smile again.

“When are we coming back?” he asked his mother while she put a hat on his head and wrapped the scarf around his neck.

“Soon, darling. It won't be long.” she said and back then Victor believed her.

If they were going away for only a couple of weeks it would have been okay, he thought, but whenever he looked at his father and watched his face becoming sadder, he felt bad.

“Father?” he eventually addressed his father. “Are you alright?”

“Of course, son. This journey will be good for you. You'll become an even better ice skater.” his father said with a forced smile.

Victor believed him too and left with his mother.

Their journey made him forget about the bad feeling he had because there was so much to be seen and so much to learn. He traveled to places that were free from snow, warm – some even too warm. He tasted food he had never seen nor tasted before, he listened to music and watched movies in a language he hadn't heard before, learned from ice skaters new moves and jumps his mother couldn't do and enjoyed every second of it.

Yet, when he asked after some days when they would return home, once again his mother said 'soon'.

That soon became two years and Victor was almost seventeen when he returned home. He told his mother that he wanted to spend his birthday with his father because he had missed the last one – which was a first time.

Victor traveled back home but his mother didn't and he was angry about that. Especially when he saw the state his father was in.

He looked old, all the warmth and happiness almost gone from his face but the moment his eyes – the same as Victor's – found him, some of the lost shine found its way back into his features. Victor never left the castle and made sure to spend every free minute together with his father and tell him about all the things he learned, saw and heard. He showed his father the new jumps and movements he learned from other ice skaters but no matter how hard he tried, Dimitri's face never got rid of the shadow it had.

Victor wondered why his mother refused to come back and the anger towards her grew bigger when he heard the guards and servants whispering about how Korivan, too, had lost a bit of its shine and laughter. It was true, Victor soon figured out. Every evening he sat at his window and watched from afar the ice rinks and noticed how the rinks weren't full and how the voices became rather quiet and the songs too.

It made him sad but he wasn't giving up. He needed to cheer his father up somehow.

The day of his birthday Victor woke up to the sound of his door being opened and a noise that wasn't familiar to him. He opened his sleepy eyes and watched his father entering the room and in his hands he held a bundle of brown fur. A puppy to be more precisely.

Makkachin had been a gift from his father and since that day they were never separated and on that day he saw his father being his old, happy self again.

A week later, though, his father announced that his mother had called and asked when Victor planned to come back to her. Victor was torn again because, unlike his father, his mother was actually having a good time as if she wasn't worried at all about her husband. That was also the moment when Victor realized that his mother would probably never come back to his father. He understood what she felt: the feeling of traveling, seeing the world and being more than just a queen on a throne. But this was also her husband, the man she loved and he didn't quite understand why someone would choose to be away from the person they loved. It made no sense at all to him but the fact that his father was waiting for his wife to come back and gave her the freedom she wanted, also told him that he probably loved her still.

“You should go, Vitya.” was what his father said and Victor was surprised to hear that coming from him.

“But... aren't you lonely?”

“Sometimes, yes. But one day you'll be the king of Korivan and it's important to learn as much as you can so you can be an even better king than I am. You'll learn far more on a journey and from life itself.”

Convinced by his father's words and wanting to make him proud he agreed to return to his mother, together with Makkachin. But his bad feeling never left him and he was worried about his father and his mother because they were acting so weird. He tried to convince his mother to go back home, but she always found a reason not to. He wrote letters to his father and at first he responded with fatherly love but then his letters became formal and cold.

His parents, at some point, became strangers to him and only when he turned 20 he truly understood that they would never get back together. His mother was more interested in another guy and his father became rather silent.

“I simply don't love him anymore, Vitya. You're old enough, you understand that, right?” his mother said when Victor wondered how she could be with another man. Yes, he understood that but that didn't mean he was okay with how she behaved.

He gave up on his parents getting back together and instead tried to please them both, his mother by becoming the best ice skater possible and his father by becoming the future king. He learned a lot, practiced ice skating with different people at different places and made sure to call his father at least once a week to tell him all about it and also to make sure he was doing okay. His mother did not go everywhere he went but, when they were together, Victor tested the waters and talked about their home to see if she changed her mind. But all she showed him was a smile and agreed that, yes, their time in Korivan had been beautiful.

Yet he wondered if his efforts would ever pay off because nothing seemed to change no matter how hard he tried and, when his father was no longer responding to his calls or letters, Victor became worried. He wanted to go back and see for himself what was going on but then he couldn't break everything off - his studies and practice - and return just to tell his father he quit everything else.

Torn, that was how he felt since he was fifteen and he felt like that until he turned 26 and felt like there was nothing left he could learn from the ice skaters or from life itself.

He was still worried about his mother but that was more a feeling because his mother was doing just fine even without her son. Victor wondered if it was time to go back to his father and be the prince and learn from him how to be a king. But he hadn't heard anything from his father in the past six months and even when he tried to call him, one of the servants picked up and told the prince that his father was doing fine. Though, there was something behind every voice, something that made him feel uncomfortable. So after his 27 birthday – when his father didn't call him nor send him a letter – he pushed the issue and eventually one of the servants – Dorian - told him what was happening.

The king became mad and the land and its people were suffering.

Victor couldn't believe it at first but he didn't share his doubts out loud. He made sure to call and ask for the servant to find out more until someone told him the servant was no longer working for the king. Victor could only guess what that meant and he had a very bad feeling about it. Did his father really become mad? So mad that he killed anyone who wouldtalk bad about him? Anyone who was sharing the truth? Because why would the servant lie?

Victor didn't wait for too long and decided that it was time to get back home and see for himself what was the truth and what not.

They entered the town on the main road and Victor saw it right from there that his home was no longer what it used to be. Homes that once were filled with warm lights and laughing people were nothing but ruins. Lampions that once shone so beautifully had cracks and the people walking down the street all looked tired and a familiar shadow was filling the features of their faces. He couldn't believe that this was his hometown, or rather a shadow of it. Everything lost its shine entirely or a bit of it and the only building truly shining was the castle. A light that seemed more like an illusion, like a trap to make others believe that everything was fine while it clearly was not.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and the moment they passed the gates to the castle Victor noticed right away that there things changed as well. There were no servants enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in the garden, there were no laughs nor chatter. Silence, cold and a pressuring atmosphere filled this beautiful place. When they stood still, Victor climbed out of the car, Makkachin right behind him and watched two servants leaving the castle to get his luggage. He knew them and he was happy to see that apparently some of the servants he knew since his childhood were still there and could fill him in with everything that happened.

“Welcome back your Highness.” Andre said and Victor saw that he was also tired but he seemed to be doing better than the people he saw on the streets.

“We've been waiting for your return, your Highness.” Roman said, who was around Victor's age and the son of Andre.

“I'm glad to see you too.” Victor smiled and noticed how their eyes began to shine with something. It was hope he figured and the lump in his throat returned as did the bad feeling he had tried to ignore for the past months.

“Are you here to stay?” Roman asked quietly and Victor didn't hesitate with his answer.

“Yes.” he said in a way that made them understand that he returned for a different reason than duty and family. But first he needed more information and he needed to see it with his own eyes.

They both sighed and the smile that appeared on their lips convinced Victor that he had made the right choice.

He followed them inside the castle and noticed how the framed pictures of his younger self and his parents still were on the wall. That view gave Victor some sort of hope that maybe things weren't as bad as Dorian told him.

“Is Dorian here?” Victor asked while he followed Andre and Roman through the corridors, up the stairs into his room.

They didn't say anything. Actually, the moment they entered the castle both became suspiciously quiet and Victor felt how this bad feeling, this kind of warning, returned. They stopped at his room and Andre unlocked the door and let Victor in first. It was still the same as before, blue-ish walls and floor, white curtains hanging in front of the windows and a bed, bigger than his from years ago. Apparently his father made sure his room was renovated knowing or hoping his son would return. Another good sign, he thought, but he didn't let that feeling grow. He closed the door after Andre and Roman entered it, made sure the windows were closed as well and then asked.

“Aren't you allowed to speak?”

“Not while we walk through the corridors and not when the king's around.” Roman explained.

“What?”

Victor couldn't believe it.

Was this the truth? Did his father forbid his servants to talk? Whenever Victor recalled his past he couldn't remember a day when he did not talk to the servants and listened to their stories and laughter, same as his parents. He blinked while Makkachin made himself comfortable on Victor's bed and waited for the two men to say something. But they didn't. Instead they pressed their lips together as if they were trying to hold back any bad thing they probably had to say about Dimitri Nikiforov.

“You're allowed to speak your mind. I won't punish you for telling the truth.” Victor tried and it felt weird to give an order. He was no king and he was a prince who had left his hometown to grow and learn. Even though he had the birthright on his side and even though he learned what he was allowed to say and do as a prince, it still felt odd to do so because these people were like family to him as well.

“The king isn't kind. He's a tyrant.” Roman said and Andre smacked the back of his head.

“Son!”

“But it's the truth!” Roman hissed while he rubbed the back of his head.

“What happened?” Victor asked and invited them to sit down around the small table.

It was mostly Roman who was talking, explaining what happened in the past three years and how things just got worse during the last year. He said how the king started to ignore his people's needs, how he came up with the idea to let them skate for him and how he punished them whenever he could. He told Victor about how poor people were, how the tourists avoided Korivan and how they, the servants and guards, weren't allowed to talk anymore. Their life was filled with silence and a danger, a fear, that made them feel numb and lost. But they were stuck, simply because they had nowhere else to go and no money to start a new life. Roman said something Victor had only guessed so far, but apparently it was the truth.

The pain the king felt was too much to handle so he let it out on the wrong people, his people, who did nothing but love their royal family and trusted them to protect their lives. Everything he heard left a bad taste in Victor's mouth and not for one second did he doubt Roman's words. They fit with everything Dorian said and then he asked what had been left without an answer still.

“What happened to Dorian?”

Roman looked at his father and it was a silent conversation between them until Andre was the one speaking.

“We're not sure but he isn't here anymore. We hope that the king send him off but he could have done something else to him.”

“Something else? Like what?” Victor hoped for something that wasn't as horrible but there was almost no room for any sane thought. The state his father was in probably lead to horrible decisions but still, when he heard the answer he could breath.

“I guess he's been sent away or in jail. We aren't allowed to go there and no one is allowed to talk about it so... we can't say for sure. But I doubt the king killed him. He didn't kill anyone when Dorian disappeared. But after that...” Roman admitted.

“Father... killed someone?” Victor tried to not show his horror and to stay calm and collected because he was, first of all, the prince and he was the one who would become king one day. He needed to show them that he was strong enough to do that. But he was just a human himself and didn't manage to hide everything and, he guessed, in front of Andre and Roman it was fine. He trusted them and they, obviously, trusted him because otherwise they wouldn't have said anything.

They both told Victor what happened in the past year, that the king started to take away things from his people – food, clothes, other important things – how the guards invaded houses and ruined the lives and homes of the people from Korivan and about the ice skating event he held at the end of every month. Hearing all of that made Victor sick to his stomach and he could only guess how pale he actually looked like.

So it was the truth. His father had become a tyrant, causing pain to his people, although they didn't do anything wrong. Though, even if they had done something, it still would have been wrong to punish his people ~~in~~ the way his father did.

“Thank you for telling me all of that.” Victor said, his mouth dry and his body tense. But he still managed to smile.

“You're back to stop all of this, right?” Roman asked hopeful while Andre simply looked at Victor, waiting for his response.

The truth was Victor only had an idea of what the circumstances were from the little information he got but now that he knew the bigger picture he wondered if he was capable of doing that. He hadn't been there for many years and the people probably already forgot what he looked like or that he and a queen even existed. They both disappeared and left the king alone and that thought, the blame he threw at himself and his mother, lead to a feeling of responsibility. Yes, he was the prince and those people would be – one day – his people. And he didn't want them to suffer through poorness and hunger. He wanted to be a kind and strong king.

However... how was he supposed to do that? Would his father simply retire and let him be the king? Would the people trust him even if he became king tomorrow? No, it wouldn't be that easy because all of this had been going on for too long and there were too many things he couldn't fix or change just becoming king. Still, no matter how hard it seemed, Victor was determined to do something.

“I'll try my best. I can promise you that. But I'll need your help.” Victor confessed feeling the guilt rising inside him. “I've been gone for a long time and I had no idea what was really going on. Now, though, I can't leave. I'm the prince, I feel a responsibility, yes, but this is also my home and I have fond memories of the people and the time I've been here. So, I hope you'll help me.”

“Of course.” Roman agreed immediately, a huge smile on his face and all the exhaustion was gone for that moment.

“What about the queen?” Andre asked.

Victor changed his pose into a thinking one and he couldn't come up with an answer. He had no idea if his mother knew what was going on but he doubted she did. Also, he wasn't sure if she would care enough because his mother had changed, a lot.

“I'll contact her and tell her what is going on. But... mother has changed.” he admitted and there was no reason to hide the truth. They both had been honest to him, risking probably more than he understood so he wanted to give them the same honesty back. “I wouldn't... count on her. I'm sorry.”

He watched their faces and saw that there was a glint of disappointment but it didn't affect their hope they put into Victor.

“Our prince is back and that alone gives us enough hope.” Andre said and the smile he showed was coming from how proud he felt that his prince did not shy away from his responsibility and the mess his father caused.

“Thank you. However, I'd like to see my father now.”

Roman and Andre nodded and together they left his room. Roman disappeared right after they were downstairs and Andre walked with Victor to his father's office. They both didn't say anything but Andre gave him a look as if he was trying to say that whatever was waiting behind that door was no longer the person Victor knew. If he was ready or not, Victor couldn't tell but no matter what, he wanted to keep his promise.

Andre knocked against the door, waited for the king to respond and then opened it.

“Your Majesty, prince Victor has arrived.” he announced and Victor walked past him. The office looked still the same, everything seemed to be the same but only the atmosphere changed and also his father, who was sitting behind his desk and looking at his son with a smile on his lips. A smile that tried to be real and warm but his father wasn't able to do that anymore. His blue eyes, Victor's eyes, had never been cold, mind their color. But now they were cold, like the unforgiving cold the winter could bring, but never had reached their home. His face had shadows, darker, deeper than ever, taking away all the kindness and strength Victor admired his father for, leaving bitterness and something threatening. It was so easy to see all of that and it almost made Victor shiver.

But he wasn't just a prince, he was also a performer, so he had learned to pretend, to act in so many ways and somehow he also managed to do it in front of his father. Which, obviously felt wrong because he never wanted to lie or pretend in front of his father.

“Son! It's good to have you back.” Dimitiri said and stood up from his chair as Victor approached him. The hug they shared didn't feel like a welcoming thing but rather as a habit, a ritual they always did when they saw each other again. There was no meaning, nothing at all or at least it felt like that for Victor.

“It's good to see you too, father.” Victor said, smiling and wishing that Makkachin was with him instead of his room.

“Are you staying for good? Ready to become king one day?” his father asked while sitting down, ignoring the papers he was working on before Victor came.

“That's the plan.” Victor said and tried to behave as if he knew nothing and he was far too tired and needed to see and hear more before he made a move.

They held some small talk, Victor answering his father's questions about how the journey back was, how Makkachin was doing and while doing that he watched his father's face. The smile never disappeared but it also never changed into an honest one. It was like he was pretending himself that nothing had has changed, that everything was fine and Victor didn't mention any of that.

“How is your mother doing?” Dimitri asked.

“Not too bad.” Victor answered and noticed the little change in his father's face. What it was he couldn't quite point out but it was not happiness. He waited for more questions about his mother, but nothing came and he knew that that conversation was over.

“Good. Now, it's gotten late you should get some rest.”

“You too, father.”

 

* * *

 

Victor was able to sleep but simply because the long journey had been so exhausting. When he woke up and realized where he was, his mind immediately returned to his father and what became of him. It was not just his face that changed a lot, it was the whole atmosphere around him that was so unfamiliar to Victor, even though his father acted like he always did in front of Victor. But that was all it was, an act, no longer his real father. He left his bed and used the bathroom, planning to eat breakfast with his father but Roman told him that the king wasn't available at themoment.

For some reason it didn't surprise him but Victor knew other ways to find more information. He could talk to Roman when they were alone and ask him questions but he was also allowed to move inside and around the castle as he wished because he was the prince.

Victor did that for the following week, investigating the castle to see if anything seemed different or suspicious but, beside the odd silence and the heavy eye of the guardians, nothing had changed. The building itself was still the same only the people and the atmosphere was no longer what it used to be. Usually they had a lot of visitors and their servants were happier and his parents would have walked around and talked to anyone as if they were old friends.

Within a week he learned that this atmosphere was fear and uncertainty about what the king would do to his people and because of that Victor had no doubt that Dorian probably got punished, or worse.

He asked Roman and Andre who he could trust and they told him to be careful around the guards, while most of the servants were trustworthy or didn't say anything at all. Victor decided to trust Ramon and Andre for now and watch the other people for a while longer until they would approach him or until he felt like he could trust them with his true thoughts.

At the end of January everyone was busy preparing everything for 'The Monthly Skater Performance'. Victor tried to help wherever he could but Andre advised that he shouldn't get involved too much simply because the king wouldn't like it. It was their job and not the royals and if he saw his son helping them, it would probably make him upset. Victor agreed reluctantly but figured that it was for the best. He still needed to watch things and be careful to get a better picture of everything.

Especially of this event his father came up with which he, still, didn't quite ~~quiet~~ understand. Andre and Roman explained that it was for the king's entertainment but that, in reality, it was just a way to torture his people more and punish them if they failed to satisfy him. Victor had his doubts about all of that but he soon would see it for himself.

When that day came, Victor watched it from afar and didn't join in because he didn't want anyone to know that he was back and spread the word about it. His father agreed to that without any hesitation or any suspicious.

At the beginning everything looked fairly normal. People were walking through the gates – he knew some of them and others he didn't – dressed up, clearly from the higher class and walking one after the other inside. Everything was decorated, food and drinks were waiting in a hall that was connected to the ice rink. Then the event began and Victor was watching from a balcony, hidden behind curtains so no one would see him.

What he saw made him feel sick again and it also hurt in a way he didn't know he could. The pain came from the love he had for ice skating and how his father abused such a unique and pure sport to torture people. No one who understood and felt what only ice skaters could, would have ever abused it like that. The feel of freedom, of flying.

But his personal pain was nothing compared to the people he watched skating. Some of them were definitely professionals and looking healthier and stronger than most of the others. He could see how hard the weaker skaters tried, how they forced a smile on their face and tried their best even though their bodies were protesting. He could see it clear as day and when he looked at his father, whose face was unreadable, he wondered if he simply ignored it or didn't care.

After the evening Victor walked back into his room feeling still as awful as before and wondered what he could possibly do to stop that hell. Would it help if he just kept on talking to his father until he could convince him that what he did was wrong? He had his doubts because everything had been going on like that for far too long. He doubted his father would care about what Victor thought or had to say but he knew one person who could change his father'smind.

And that was his mother.

If all of this happened because his mother had left him, then she would be the only one to change him, right?

Victor decided to call her and let her know what was going on. He did that the next day but, as he expected, his mother showed little to no interest and he didn't push the issue for the moment. But he wasn't giving up either because to convince his mother would be far more easier than his father. If he tried often enough he was sure he could bring her back and she would remember her responsibility.

He waited the whole day until the last guests left and then went to his father's office to see what he looked like and hear what he had to say after that event. But his father seemed to be the same as always, as if nothing happened and, even though Victor suggested they shouldhave dinner together, he said he was too busy doing other things and that they would eat breakfast together in the morning.

That night though Victor woke up to screaming and crying voices and when he hurried to his window he saw that it was coming from the town. He looked for fire, he looked for something that would explain why this was happening and when he saw the guards leaving the grounds of the castle he understood what the reason was. That was what Roman and Andre meant when they said the king would punish those who didn't entertain him and Victor was convinced that he would see it happening on the ice but, obviously, there was more than one way to do so.

Angry about it, he went to his father's office the next morning, wanting to call him out but held back when he realized how stupid it would have been. Angering his father would have led to nothing good and probably caused more trouble than there already was since he hadn't been there for so many years. He wasn't sure what his father would actually say or do but his bad feeling held him back and instead he asked his father if one of the servants could accompany him because he wanted to see the town.

With a simple nod the king returned to what he was doing and Victor left the office to find Roman. They left together in the evening when most of the people were either at home or gathered together at the ice rink so Victor could walk around without being noticed, and that was what he wanted. He needed to see the town uninterrupted and he didn't want to be recognized as the prince just because one of the king's servants was with him.

Victor saw little pieces of the state of the town but actually walking through it and seeing everything right in front of him and feeling the atmosphere was different and a shiver went down Victor's spine. The further they walked, the more they saw... it brought tears to Victor's eyes.

“Sad, huh?” Roman whispered when he noticed how much all of this affected Victor.

“I'm not sure if sad is the right word.” Victor said his voice thick with emotions. “I'm also not sure if a word even exists to describe all of this.”

Roman nodded silently and they continued walking through the streets, past the broken lights, the empty houses, the weak laughs and music coming from the ice rink. His home was no longer what it used to be, the beauty was gone, the warmth, the life and it all, got swallowed by the shadow of his father.

But not anymore, Victor thought to himself.

On their way back to the castle Victor thought what he could do to help the people his father was supposed to watch over. The easiest way would be for him to become the king, a better 'King' who treats his people right and protects them and gives them all the things they need to have a comfortable and safe life.

But how?

It wouldn't be easy to convince his father to leave the throne and confronting him with his wrong behavior would probably cause more trouble for everyone. No, he couldn't upset his father like that, Victor figured that out in the past weeks. He needed time, yes, but within that time he could do something else to help his people.

Yes, he decided, while he would try to talk to his father and become the 'King' he needed to help his people as good as he could.

The next day when Andre came into his room to bring him breakfast Victor asked him to sit down and asked.

“Is there a way to leave the castle without being noticed?”

Andre stared at Victor for a couple of seconds without saying anything but eventually he nodded and Victor smiled. Of course, he thought to himself, after everything that happened and the danger that was filling the air and threatening the lives of the servants, obviously they created a way to escape just in case.

“The king doesn't know about it. We simply created it for ourselves in case we need to escape from here.” Andre explained. “Do you want to leave us?”

“No. I won't, I promise. But I want to help the people as much as I can but in order to do that, I need a way to be with the people and see what they need. And I want to do it alone. I suppose without any guards or servants around me, they will never guess who I really am since it's been so long. So... I should be safe.” Victor said.

“I guess you have a point, Victor.” Andre eventually stopped addressing Victor as the prince, after Victor told him so. Here, in his room, there was no need to be that formal. “But don't tell anyone who you really are.”

“No, I won't. But I'll need your help and I'll need more people than you and your son. Do you think there are more people we could trust?”

“Yes, for certain.”

That was how Victor left the castle to meet his people, not as the prince but as someone who wanted to help as much as he could. He wanted to talk to the people, to get to know their lives and see what they needed and how he could help them. Together with Makkachin they left his room and Andre showed him the way out of the castle without being noticed by anyone. Though Victor felt kind of too striking with his look – clearly showing that he wasn't exactly poor – he couldn't help it for now. He had no old clothes anymore and he didn't think much about that before he left. Now he couldn't do anything against it but at leasthe felt less exposed without a guard or servants around him.

He walked through the silent and empty town, wondering if he would meet anyone today. But the night when the guards invaded several houses had been just two days before, so it shouldn't have been surprising that the people were avoiding the streets for now. Yet he kept on walking and stopped at the ice rinks his mother used to take him and spent time together with her people as the queen she once was.

He stood there for a while, scratching Makkachin's head who leaned against him, and dwelt in his memories. Warm, nice memories that weren't clear pictures all the time but the feeling they gave him was a good one. He smiled to himself but when he looked to his right side he noticed someone walking. He watched the black haired person for a while until he noticed that he had skates with him and was entering one of the ice rinks further away.

Victor's first thought was that he could finally test if someone would notice him or not and that he could finally talk to someone who was living outside the castle. His thoughts were simple, focused on getting any kind of information so he would know what they needed and what he could do for the people. But all those thoughts became meaningless when he watched the other guy starting to skate... no, to perform.

There was no music he skated to but Victor could hear the music just by watching him. Every movement, every jump, told his experienced eye what the skater wanted to share, to tell, and he did it in a way Victor hadn't seen before. It was breathtakingly beautiful, pure and yet powerful. And that one performance was not the only one. A second followed right after that and watching that, he wondered how the stranger seemed to be not a little bit exhausted.

His heart jumped inside his chest at a new rhythm. One that pumped warmth, happiness and a different good feeling he hadn't felt before and, somehow, his everything felt the need to be closer to that person, to protect him and share his own stories with him and, also, create something together. It made no sense and Victor didn't understand where all that was coming from but he had never been scared of the way he felt and he never found a reason to hide his happiness and make others happy as well.

He was so lost that he didn't notice how Makkachin ran off, straight towards the person who had just finished his performance.

But through Makkachin he was able to talk to him, the not-a-stranger-anymore: Yuuri.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like comments and kudos, they keep me motivated! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to talk to me here is [my tumblr blog](http://skrivarmelodi.tumblr.com/)!


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